NRC: Virtual Reality Laboratory (VRL)

Welcome to the Virtual Reality Laboratory

The goal of our laboratory is to combine behavioral neuroscience theory and methodology with clinical populations to help elucidate the neural bases of memory function. This translational approach takes advantage of the rich paradigms that have been extensively developed for testing nonhumans, and extends them to human clinical psychology research.

Current environments include virtual driving, virtual Morris water task, virtual radial-arm maze, virtual Whishaw table maze, virtual cities, virtual casinos, and a virtual crackhouse. Our primary data methods include functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), event-related potentials (ERP), and intra-cranial recordings. We collect these data from a variety of individuals with and without psychiatric illness, including schizophrenia, substance abuse, Alzheimer’s disease, posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, and epilepsy. Additionally, we examine the effects of a variety of drugs such as alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine on memory function. All of our laboratories operate in collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine.

** ABC News Clip featuring our Driving Simulator

** NY Times article featuring our Driving Simulator

VR Lab Links